Walkmate

Inspiration

Walking alone at night on campus is scary, and current safety options are slow, awkward, or unavailable. Students already walk the same routes at the same times — they just don’t know about each other. We wanted a solution that uses community instead of bureaucracy to make students safer.

What it does

WalkSafe is a real-time web app that: Lets a student enter where they’re walking. Finds another student heading in the same direction within 30 seconds. Calculates a safe midpoint to meet. Allows both students to walk together to their destinations. Uses AI to detect patterns of unsafe behavior and ban bad actors. No chatting, no scheduling: just request, match, meet, and walk together.

How we built it

Frontend: Next.js 14 (App Router) Tailwind CSS Mapbox GL JS (real-time map, routing, midpoint visualization) TypeScript

Backend: Claude API Supabase (PostgreSQL + real-time subscriptions) Supabase Auth (magic link login) Supabase RLS (Row Level Security) for privacy

APIs: Mapbox Geocoding API Mapbox Directions API Anthropic Messages API

Matching Algorithm: Finds someone within a 0.3-mile radius going to a similar destination Calculates midpoint: (lat1+lat2)/2, (lng1+lng2)/2 Real-time WebSocket updates when match occurs Time to match: < 30 seconds Expected DB matching query time: < 100ms

Challenges we ran into

Designing a system that keeps users safe without storing sensitive data Real-time database sync between two users during matching Calculating safe midpoint routes dynamically on the map Preventing bad actors without collecting personal identity info Balancing privacy and safety was the hardest design challenge: Only first name is stored No persistent location history Auto-delete walk requests after 24 hours

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a functional real-time matching app in under an hour Users can be matched in under 30 seconds Designed a scalable architecture that can work for any campus Created an AI safety layer that flags patterns and bans bad actors automatically Minimal friction: only 2 main screens And most importantly: We turned fear into connection, students no longer need to worry while walking anymore.

What we learned

Real-time apps don’t have to be complicated, Supabase + Mapbox can handle it Strong privacy architecture matters more than feature count The best UX is the one with the fewest clicks Product decisions change when you prioritize safety, not convenience

What's next for Walkmate

Group walking (3–4 person matches) Optional gender-preference matching Integration with campus police or student ID systems Campus-wide pilot program Push notifications / background matching Rewards system (walk X times → get campus merch) Long-term goal: expand to multiple campuses and build a safer community network.

Built With

• claude
• mapbox
• next.js
• supabase
• supabaserls
• tailwindcss
• typescript